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Ray Meagher

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Ray Meagher
OAM
Born (1944-07-04) 4 July 1944 (age 80)
Roma, Queensland, Australia
OccupationActor
Years active1972–present
Spouse
Gilly Meagher
​
(m. 2010)​

Raymond Francis Meagher OAM (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewart on Home and Away, having played the role since the first episode in 1988. Meagher won a Gold Logie Award for his role in Home and Away in 2010 and has currently played the role of Alf for over 36 years.

Early life

Meagher was born and raised on a sheep and cattle station in Queensland, before attending a boarding school on the Gold Coast from the age of nine. He became a keen sportsman at high school, Marist College Ashgrove in Brisbane, representing the school at a number of sports including rugby union, a sport which he ultimately played at state level.[1]

Meagher played at first five eighth for Queensland at senior level in the late 1960s, including playing against France.[2]

Career

Film

Meagher played Sergeant Drummond in the 1980 war drama Breaker Morant, which he said was one of his favourite roles.[3] His other film appearances include The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), Newsfront (1978), My Brilliant Career (1979), The Shiralee (1987),[1] Mad Dog Morgan (1976), Money Movers (1978), The Odd Angry Shot (1979), The Earthling (1980), Hoodwink (1981), Runaway Island (1982), and The Fire in the Stone (1984).[3] He had a cameo in the 1979 war comedy The Odd Angry Shot.[3]

Television

Meagher first appeared on television as host of the late night ABC folk music programme Around Folk in June–August 1973.[3] His first regular acting work on television was in the soap opera Number 96, briefly appearing as Fred Shrimpton in 1977.[4] Meagher became "a much in demand character actor", with his early television roles including Matlock Police, Ben Hall, Rush, Certain Women, Pig in a Poke, The Restless Years, Glenview High, The Oracle, Kingswood Country, Cop Shop, Skyways, Sporting Chance, Holiday Island, and Bellamy.[3] Subsequent television acting roles included three different roles as villains in Prisoner, including Geoff Butler between 1979 and 1980, Kurt Renner in 1984, and Ernest Craven in 1986. He also had two different guest starring roles in A Country Practice and substantial roles in several 1980s miniseries.[1]

In 1984, Meagher was cast in the Nine Network miniseries A Fortunate Life, based on Albert Facey's book of the same name. He plays the role of evil cattle-rustler Bad Bob.[3] Marie Ussher of TV Week observed that Meagher was often cast as the "baddie" or tough, ruthless characters in his early career.[3] He also appeared in an episode of Five Mile Creek as Irish bushranger Lightning Ridge.[3] Meagher won a Penguin Award for his starring role in Mail Order Bride (1984) for the ABC. He filmed the 12-part series Five Times Dizzy in Sydney in 1986. Meagher played The Red Headed Person, who was billed as "a tough standover man."[5] Meagher liked playing "heavy" characters, who showed their lighter sides.[5] While filming Five Times Dizzy, Meagher also flew back and forth to Melbourne to film miniseries The Great Bookie Robbery in which he plays Bob Temple. During the same period, he also made an appearance in A Country Practice as alcoholic, pub owner Wally, followed by a role in television film The Blue Lightning for America's CBS network.[5]

Meagher joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in 1987 and has appeared in the role of Alf Stewart continuously since the first episode aired in January 1988.[4] Meagher holds a Guinness World Record as the longest-serving actor in an Australian serial.[6]

In September 2009, Meagher was the third-highest paid personality on Australian television, behind Eddie McGuire and Rove McManus.[7]

Meagher won the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 2010 Logie Awards, where he was also nominated for "Most Popular Actor".[8] Meagher subsequently won that Logie Award in 2018.[9]

Stage

In 2007, Meagher took over the role of Bob the mechanic in Priscilla Queen of the Desert from Bill Hunter.[10] From 30 September 2010, he took over the role of Bob in the West End production of Priscilla until March 2011.[11] In June 2011, it was announced that Meagher would be returning to the West End production from October.[12] He then rejoined the show for its New Zealand tour in 2016.[13]

Meagher regularly travels to the United Kingdom to take part in the traditional Christmas pantomimes. In December 2008, he played Abanazar in a production of Aladdin at the Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke and in 2009 he performed as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Royal Tunbridge Wells.[14][15]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith Dud Edmonds
1978 Newsfront Len's Second Brother
1979 The Odd Angry Shot Range Corporal
1979 My Brilliant Career Mailman
1979 The Journalist Senior Investigator
1980 Breaker Morant Sgt. Maj. Drummond
1980 Mystery Island Policeman
1980 A Piece of Cake Duty Sarglant Short film
1981 Hoodwink Shaw
1983 On the Run Joe Thompson
1984 On the Loose Russell Leech
1984 The Fire in the Stone Dosh
1985 Relatives Herb Taylor
1985 Bootleg Lawker
1986 Short Changed Marshall
1987 Dark Age Rex Garret
1987 The Place at the Coast Uncle Doug
1989 Luigi's Ladies Lance

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1973 Around Folk Host
1973 Matlock Police Kurt Fisher Episode: "By Hook or by Crook"
1976 Do I Have to Kill My Child? Des TV film
1977 Number 96 Fred Shrimpton Season 6
1978 Glenview High Policeman Episode: "Accident"
1978 Run From the Morning
1978 Because He's My Friend Kevin TV film
1979 Skyways Sergeant Murphy Episode: "The Crated Crim"
1979 Top Mates Miniseries
1979–80; 1984; 1986 Prisoner Geoff Butler / Ernest Craven / Kurt Renner Season 1–2
28 episodes
1981 Sporting Chance
1981 Holiday Island
1982–86 A Country Practice Wally Stanley / Trev Bennett / Tom Skilton 6 episodes
1982 Mystery at Castle House Stakovich TV film
1982 Runaway Island TV film
1983 The Weekly's War Frank Packer Miniseries
1983 The Disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain Mr. Lowe TV film
1984 Five Mile Creek Lightning Ridge Episode: "The Hangman's Noose"
1984 Kingswood Country Keith Mitchell / Bank Manager 2 episodes
1984 Mail Order Bride Kevin TV film
1985 A Fortunate Life Bad Bob Miniseries.
Episode: "Starting Out (1897–1905)"
1985 Mother and Son Geoff Episode: "The Card Game"
1985 Colour in the Creek Clarrie 8 episodes
1986 Land of Hope Miniseries
1986 Five Times Dizzy The Red Headed Person
1986 The Great Bookie Robbery Bob Temple Miniseries
1986 The Blue Lightning Hale TV film
1987 The Shiralee Polkadot TV film
1988 True Believers Tom Burke Miniseries
1988 The True Story of Spit MacPhee Frank Arbuckle Miniseries
1988 Vietnam Army Sergeant Miniseries
1988–present Home and Away Alf Stewart Series regular
2002 Home and Away: Secrets and the City Alf Stewart Video special
2003 Home and Away: Hearts Divided Alf Stewart Video special

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1975 The Floating World Nimrod Theatre Company
2007 Priscilla Queen of the Desert Bob the mechanic Regent Theatre, Melbourne
2008 Aladdin Abanazar Anvil Theatre in Basingstoke
2009 Peter Pan Captain Hook Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells
2010-11 Priscilla Queen of the Desert Bob the mechanic West End of London
2016 Priscilla Queen of the Desert Bob the mechanic New Zealand tour

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Work Result Ref
1984 Penguin Awards Best Actor Mail Order Bride Won [16]
2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards Most Popular Actor Home and Away Nominated [17]
2004 Inside Soap Awards Best Actor Nominated [18]
2006 Best Actor Nominated [19]
Funniest Star Nominated
2018 Best Daytime Star Won [20]
2019 Best Daytime Star Nominated [21]
2020 Best Daytime Star Nominated [22]
2010 Logie Awards Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Won [23]
Most Popular Actor Nominated
2012 Most Popular Actor Nominated [24]
2018 Most Popular Actor Won [25]
2019 Most Popular Actor Nominated [26]
2022 Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated [27]
Most Popular Actor Nominated
2023 Most Popular Actor Nominated [28]

References

  1. ^ a b c Home and Away: Ray Meagher Archived 30 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Yahoo!7.
  2. ^ "Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson star struck by Home and Away veteran". The New Zealand Herald. 6 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Ussher, Marie (8 September 1984). "Bob's as bad as they come". TV Week. p. 79.
  4. ^ a b Duck, Siobhan (30 July 2008). "Home and Away's Ray Meagher OK with career character". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Ussher, Marie (15 February 1986). "Ray's heavy workload". TV Week. p. 49.
  6. ^ Fife-Yeomans, Janet (19 December 2009). "Shadows fall on Home And Away – behind the scenes at Australia's most troubled soap opera". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney.
  7. ^ Clune, Richard (13 September 2009). "Flamin' heck! Alf Stewart's worth a quid". Sunday Mail (Adelaide).
  8. ^ "2010 Logie Awards: Full List of Winners". Perth Now. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  9. ^ Lilly, Alex (1 July 2018). "Logies 2018: Ray Meagher dedicates his win to his late Home and Away co-star, Cornelia Frances". TV Week. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Culture: Slurs and slingbacks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  11. ^ "Meagher taking Home and Away break". RTÉ TEN. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  12. ^ "Ray swaps the Bay for UK". Holy Soap. Channel 5. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  13. ^ Andrew Whiteside (14 October 2016). "Priscilla the Musical hits Auckland". Archived from the original on 22 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Margrave, Lauren (24 December 2008). "Aussie soap star crosses the globe for panto". Get Hampshire. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  15. ^ Baynes, Valkerie (21 December 2009). "Light relief for Home and Away Meagher". Ninemsn. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  16. ^ "Mail Order Bride (1984)". Australian Screen Online. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. ^ Green, Kris (21 March 2008). "Digital Spy Soap Awards 2008: The Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  18. ^ "Vote in the Inside Soap 2004 Awards". Inside Soap. No. 33. 14–24 August 2004. pp. 49–52.
  19. ^ "Vote in the 2006 Inside Soap awards". Inside Soap. No. 27. 8–14 July 2006. pp. 50–52.
  20. ^ Dainty, Sophie (22 October 2018). "Coronation Street triumphs at Inside Soap Awards 2018 with Best Soap prize". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  21. ^ Harp, Justin (1 July 2019). "Inside Soap Awards 2019 longlist revealed - which Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks stars are up?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  22. ^ "The Inside Soap Awards 2020". Inside Soap. No. 38. 19–25 September 2020. pp. 51–54.
  23. ^ "2010 Logie Awards: Full List of Winners". Perth Now. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  24. ^ Byrnes, Holly (18 March 2012). "Karl Stefanovic nominated to win back-to-back Gold Logies as Australian television awards announced". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  25. ^ Knox, David (1 July 2018). "60th Logie Awards: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  26. ^ Burke, Tina (26 May 2019). "The full list of nominees for the 2019 TV WEEK Logie Awards". TV Week. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  27. ^ Knox, David (19 June 2022). "Logie Awards 2022: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  28. ^ Estera, Christine (31 July 2023). "All the winners from the 2023 Logie Awards revealed". news.com.au. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Gold Logie Award
Most Popular Personality on Australian Television
2010
for Home and Away 		Succeeded by
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